Halladay’s No. 32 will be retired by Blue Jays before opener

TORONTO (AP) Roy Halladay’s No. 32 will be retired by the Toronto Blue Jays before their opener against the New York Yankees on March 29.

Halladay died at age 40 on Nov. 7 when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Toronto will wear a No. 32 patch on its uniforms this season. Roberto Alomar’s No. 12 in the only other player whose number was retired by the Blue Jays.

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”Through Roy’s values, pride, work ethic, and perseverance, he epitomized what it means to be a Blue Jay,” team president Mark Shapiro said in a statement Monday. ”And while his legacy is clear, it goes far beyond the number on his back or his on-field accomplishments, serving as a shining example of how to live a meaningful life and positively impact others.”

Halladay spent 12 of his 16 big league seasons with Toronto and went 148-75 for the Blue Jays with six All-Star selections. He won the 2003 AL Cy Young Award after winning a club-record 22 games. Halladay spent his last four seasons with Philadelphia.